Mikey Johnston ‘Poor’ as Irish media reacts to West Brom star in win
Mikey Johnston was in the starting line-up for the Republic of Ireland as they beat Bulgaria 2-1 to retain their place in League B of the Nations League.
Johnston was substituted after 65 minutes, just after Evan Ferguson had equalised, and before Adam Idah sealed the result with an 84th-minute winner.
The West Brom winger hasn’t replicated his best form since returning to The Hawthorns permanently from Celtic, and that continued on the international stage.
Irish media react to Johnston performance
Johnston has stepped up his involvement at West Brom this season, having already made more appearances than he did across the previous campaign on loan.
With two goals and five assists across the season, the 25-year-old has contributed to his side’s attacking efforts as the Baggies make a push for a play-off finish.
Although the possession was split, the Irish had the majority of the shots on Sunday (23 March), with the winger lacking that cutting edge.
Breaking News did credit Johnston for his “terrorising” down the right-hand side but rated his performance a 6/10, claiming that he should have done better in the 49th minute after being played a good pass.
His finishing also came under criticism from the Irish Mirror, which similarly offered a score of 6/10, citing his lack of “composure” in front of the goal.
The Irish media were aligned on his performance standards as the Irish Independent also rated Johnston a 6/10, but he was criticised for a “lack of end product” with “poor” efforts on goal.
Johnston to continue contributing to West Brom efforts
It was not a disastrous performance for Johnston on Sunday evening, but Tony Mowbray will be hoping he is more on target in a West Brom shirt as his side push for a top-six finish.
The Baggies do sit sixth in the Championship table but are level on points with Bristol City in seventh and three clear of Middlesbrough in eighth, with a tight end to the season ahead.
Although the form under the management of Mowbray got off to a slow start, the Albion are now unbeaten in six games and will hope to continue this form after the international break.
| Fixture | Opponent’s position |
| Norwich City (A) | 13th |
| Sunderland (H) | 4th |
| Bristol City (A) | 7th |
| Watford (H) | 10th |
| Coventry (A) | 5th |
Mowbray’s side have some difficult games coming up as they face the likes of Sunderland, Bristol City and other play-off rivals, meaning these are crucial weeks of the season.
As Johnston returns to the Black Country, he will need to get his scoring boots on and do whatever he can to fire West Brom on.